Earth Hour

Look around, and watch your world getting destroyed. Or take a stand and make a difference.

Put simply, out planet is dying the death of a million cuts. If each person contributes even in the smallest proportion it can make a difference. It would take an ignorant person to not know by now what I’m referring to.

Global Warming. Despite being ignored for decades, the issue has found public interest in recent years. Amongst many efforts comes Earth Hour – a stand taken up first by the city of Sydney (Australia) in 2007. By switching off their lights for one hour in the evening, 2.2 million homes and businesses in Sydney collectively voiced their concern for our planet.

Moved by their actions, people around the world joined in the next year. In 2008, 50 million people switched off their lights. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square all stood in darkness.

And on March 28, 2009 an estimated 1 billion people took part in Earth Hour. Sitting in my university in Singapore, I watch the lights go off and realised how collective people from different parts of the world were at that instant. Pictures posted at Boston.com reveal the effect in a series of before-and-after photographs – which (starting with the second one ) fade between “on” and “off” when clicked.

This is the official Earth Hour 2009 video:

To learn more about Global Warming, you can check the following websites:

• Global Warming.org – http://www.globalwarming.org/
• The New York Times – http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/news/science/topics/globalwarming/index.html
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/
• Al Gore’s ‘The Inconvenient Truth’ documentary – http://www.climatecrisis.net/ (Watch here on Google Video)

The Lost Generation

A good message…

More on Sarah Palin

Comedians on Sarah Palin – Part I

Comedians on Sarah Palin – Part II

The Best of Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin, the US Republican Vice Presidential candidate, has to be the biggest political mistake on the face of this planet. Unimgainably ignorant and verbally-challenged, her every public appearance just seems to pull down Senator John McCain’s chances of being elected to Presidency.

Palin experience: Mayor of a remote Alaskan town for 6 years, Governor of Alaska for 2 years, and 1 year chairing the Alaskan Oil & Gas Conservation Commission. Thats it!! On the basis of simply her experience, I can’t imagine what John McCain’s team was thinking when they selected her. Taking into account that the 72 year old McCain may not survive his first term in office, it’s utterly absurd to think that she could someday be President of the US.

Things get worse, when she rambles on incoherently in interviews, combining the words healthcare, foreign policy, aid, job creation and $700 bailout plan in the same sentence! I’ve never heard her answer a single question with a related answer because she always seems to revert to using the few ideas that she may have been taught just minutes before the interview.

The web is filled with criticisms and parodies of her incompetency – watch the videos below to find out! (The best: Matt Damon’s question!)

Palin on Foreign Policy

Jack Cafferty Tells Us How He Really Feels About Sarah Palin

CNN Laughs It Up Over Sarah Palin Interview

Matt Damon Rips Sarah Palin

So, Sarah Palin – were there dinosaurs?

An hour with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran by popular vote in 2005. Known for his rhetoric and ‘controversial’ ideas, he is probably one of the most important figures in the middle-eastern world.

In his second interview at the Charlie Rose Show (telecast on PBS), Ahmadinejad creates the case for a nuclear empowered Iran. He attacks the US government for interfering in the domestic governance & administration of Iraq and other mid-east countries, and questions the responsibility the US has taken upon itself to ‘help’ countries which are apparently in distress. The President also claims that the IAEA is a puppet in the hands of the US which is one of the strongest members. He questions why the US – the strongest nuclear power – does not wish other countries to use the same technology for peaceful purposes. Trashing the idea of any nation actually using nuclear weapons, he claims the Iran aims to advance in nuclear technology as well as biotechnology, nanotechnology, arts, etc.

In the interview, Ahmadinejad also talks about the strategic location of Iran in the middle-east and its role in helping the nations around it. Extending his argument, he questions the interests of the US in Iraq.

Today, news from across the world is (ultimately) biased in favour of the Americans, and we rarely sit up and question what we hear. Why do Americans feel responsible for cleansing the world? Is it really their responsibility?  Do they really have a plan? And, who judges their actions?

There are violent critics on both sides of the fence who could argue endlessly. But, what’s the solution?

—————————————————–

I’ve just been directed to President Ahmadinejad’s blog: http://www.ahmadinejad.ir/

How Can She SLAP??

This is probably the most hilarious video I’ve seen recently! Its quite a viral piece and has spread through the web space at an incredible speed.

Turn up the volume and enjoy!!

Bow Down to Gunda!!

If you haven’t discovered the brilliance of Mithun Chakraborty, go watch Gunda!

I guarantee that these 2 hours will change you – for the better or the worse! Hah! The movie has a non-existent storyline, an absurd parody of dialogues, an insane cast and a director and writer who can twist the story to unimginable extremes.

Mithun plays a coolie at the start and ends as the avenging hero who destroys the underworld and corrupt cops, usually with just one blow of his mighty hands. From lifting cargo, he amazingly transforms into a rocket launcher yielding hero who knows how to drive and uses a cell phone to update his enemies. He sets dates to kill his enemies too..

Dialogues: There’s nothing to beat them in Hindi cinema.. Where else do you find lines like:

1. [in response to "kaun hai be tu?"]: “Main hoon jurm se nafrat karne wala, Sharifon ke liye jyoti, Gundon ke liye jwala”

2. Arrey itihas badalne wale ka naam kabhi itnihas mein nahi hota hai,
   Kyun ki itihas pathhar ki lakir hoti hai, aur usko mitaney wala khud aise mit jaata hai,
   Jaise woh kabhi paida hi nahi hua ho.Jis tarah train ke aaney par platform kaapney lagta hai na,
   Usi tarah merey khaunf ka bhukhar, tum sab ko kaapney par majboor kar dega.
   Ye mera wada hai! Aur us dhuein ki kasam hai, jo meri behen ki chitah se nikalney wala hai!!
3. Dekh randi, dhandey mein bethi hai, toh buddha kya jawan kya – Kya chhota kya bada – Kya baittha kya khadah!?!

4. Tere bhi marney ka date aa raha hai! Aaj ek October hai.. Do, Char, Chhey, Aat, Das – BAS!
   

Sorry for the 3rd one, but I just had to include it!!

Characters: Each one gives his introduction at the start of each and every scene! If you are lucky, he may also give you a recap of his misendeavours of preceding scenes! Characters include the protagonist Shankar (Mithun) and his enemies Bulla, Chutiya, Potey, Eegoo Hatella, Kala Shetty, Lambu Aata, Lucky Chikna and many more…

Songs: There’s a song for every scene with a female in the frame.. And its always Mithun and his love interest. Even when Mithun’s sister is romancing some guy, the subsequent song features Mithun. And yes, ehe wears a yellow shirt in all songs – without fail!

Action sequences: We see a Maruti Esteem, auto rickshaws, trucks, helicopters, a 2-seater plane, ships and a monkey who can guide you to dead bodies in the middle of a forest and catch babies flung by our hero over 30 feet! The action sequences take place just anywhere – Mithun’s locality, Villain’s house, shipyard, cemetery, random deserts and canyons that just pop out of nowhere, fields, a flying whore-house, a beach and an air strip (airport).

I mean.. C’mon.. WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT!!!??!! Just go watch it!!

Read GreatBong’s review here.

My Sistine Tandoori

Oh I wish I were back in India… Just for the humour!!!

This, by the way, is a clip from the show Goodness Gracious Me – a English language comedy sketch aired on BBC Two until 2001.

Impossible is Nothing

Now, the tag line used by Adidas has another meaning. Watch the video below.

We are like that only!!

Rock On!!!

Wow! This is a refreshing movie -GO WATCH IT!

Rock On is not some indigestible ‘mushy’ crap that’s usually churned out of Bollywood. Its a movie with a simple story line, but brilliant acting, music and direction. Farhan Akhtar as an actor and singer is remarkable. Arjun Rampal looks comfortable being annoyed and sometimes frustrated. Purab Kohli and Luke Kenny have done a remarkable job too. Though I felt that Kenny’s dialogues and acting made him look more a priest than a rock star! Even Prachi Desai, a newcomer, plays a fine supporting role as Akhtar’s better half.

The fact that the vocals have actually been performed by the four lead actors is truly remarkable! Rock On’s songs are a breathe of fresh air when you compare them to most of the nasal (and irritating) movie tracks in the last couple of years, and I actually hope that Farhan Akhtar sings playback in the future.

Cast:

• Farhan Akhtar: Aditya Shroff
• Prachi Desai: Sakshi
• Arjun Rampal: Joe Mascarenhas
• Purab Kolhi: KD
• Luke Kenny: Rob
• Koel Purie: Devika
• Shabana Goswami: Debbie
• Nicholette Bird: Tanya

Crew:

• Directed by: Abhishek Kapoor
• Produced by: Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar
• Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
• Music: Shankar Ehsaan Loy
• Production Design: Shashank Tere
• Screenplay : Abhishek Kapoor, Pubali Chaudhuri
• Story : Abhishek Kapoor
• Dialogues: Farhan Akhtar

Link to official site – click here.

And my favourite song:

Science Made Easy – Videos

I came across an informative and simply explained series on Youtube today. It covers a set of topics dealing with the universe and evolution in a logical order. Finding good videos on Youtube is not difficult, but getting such a set is!

The videos do not ramble about scientific hypotheses but instead sum up a string of complicated scientific discoveries that form the basis of our understanding of the universe and ourselves. Though I do not know much about the narrator/producer of these videos, I did find that the videos aim to counter outrageous, if not hilarious, religious beliefs and thereby add a bit of humour.

Each video is about 9 to 10 minutes long. Have fun!

List of Videos:

1. History of the Universe Made Easy (Part 1)
2. History of the Universe Made Easy (Part 2)
3. The Origin of Life made easy
4. The Story of the Earth Made Easy
5. The Age of Our World Made Easy
6. Natural Selection Made Easy
7. The Theory of Evolution Made Easy
8. Human Evolution Made Easy
9. Human Ancestry Made Easy
10. The Scientific Method Made Easy
11. Creation ‘Science’ Made Easy
12. God and DNA made easy

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish

Steve Jobs’ commencement speech at Stanford - Truly inspiring.

Read the text version here & watch the video here.

Steve Jobs definitely deserves respect not only as a technologist and entrepreneur, but also as one of the most remarkable minds of our era.

His speech at Stanford tells three stories which end with words of advice. The stories are about his life – battles and experiences – wholesome, educating, and inspiring.

The first is about connecting the dots. This talks about how you should learn and expand your knowledge and skills without worrying of how it’ll help, because sometime in the future, everything will fit in..

“…you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.”

The second is about love and loss. That you should never give up the search to find work that you truly love to do.

“Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”

The third is about death. That it is an eventuality that we all must face. That someday in the future, we will not walk the earth as we do today. The best part about creation is that the old make way for the new. Your time is limited and you must make a mark.

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.”

Samba Masala!

For anyone who loves music with a beat… Check out Samba Masala !!

You can watch their videos here.

Samba Masala has set Singapore abuzz with their pulsating rhythms and Latin grooves. The highly energetic performances are trademark of this fusion Asian/Brazilian percussion band.

As for the musicians – well, they’re university students !!